This study examined how carded female members of Canadian national teams used and
perceived Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). The research was guided by the
following question: How do elite Canadian female athletes use Complementary and Alternative
Medicine? Additionally, the research was infonned by three subsidiary questions, namely: (1)
How do they perceive and experience CAM?; (2) Why do they use/not-use CAM?; (3) What
roles do they perceive CAM to play in their athletic development?; and (4) How is the use of
CAM negotiated within existing sport structures?
Using qualitative research methods, 12 female athletes were interviewed twice using a
semi-structured interview format for a total of 22.5 hours. The athletes were questioned about
their first experiences of using CAM and the situations that lead them to explore new treatments.
The athletes were also asked about their continued use ofCAM and the reasons for the ongoing
treatments as well as the role they perceived CAM and CAM practitioners to have in their
athletic careers.
Previously, the extant literature concerning CAM use among athletes indicated that 56%
of varsity athletes used CAM although this research gave no indication as to the frequency with
which CAM treatments were utilized. The women in my study reported that, when carded, they
used CAM treatments extensively and frequently (from two appointments a month up to two
appointments a day). At the same time, the women in this project revealed that their ability to
access services was highly contingent on their status as carded athletes and the associated
monthly stipend from Sport Canada. Within different sports organization, gendered, and
hegemonic hierarchies further delimited access to CAM. My findings suggest that while injury
may have been the impetus for the first treatment, the ongoing use of CAM was more closely
associated with an effort to prevent chronic conditions and physical imbalances from escalating
and thereby restricting their ability to fully participate in their sport.
These findings have theoretical implications for expanding our understanding of the
value CAM holds for those who use it. The data also bridge the gap between the existing
literature which has examined the influence of the sportsnet on an athlete’s belief, attitudes, and
actions, and research into rates CAM utilization in special populations. Finally, this project
reveals that elite female athletes perceive CAM to be an essential part of their athletic training.

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